Posted: 09/02/2011

Weakness

(2010)

by Joe Sanders

Available on DVD and Blu-ray from Osiris Entertainment on September 6

It’s difficult to summarize Weakness. It doesn’t have a tidy little premise which can hook potential viewers. It’s not a traditionally presented film with a typical three act structure. Instead, the audience is treated to a casual character study of Josh Polansky (Bobby Cannavale). Polansky is a high school English teacher who has just lost his mother. But, it’s not about a man coping with the loss of a parent. It’s not about a marriage in crisis, or Josh’s struggle to take care of his mentally handicapped brother (Keith Nobbs), and it’s not a movie about sexual frustration and infidelity. It is simply a movie about weakness; physical weakness, emotional weakness, weakness of will, and even the structural weakness of old houses. Listing it off like that makes the film sound obnoxiously on the nose, and almost pretentious for calling itself “Weakness,” but honestly, the thematic presence of weakness throughout is appropriately strong and subtle enough that, had the movie been called something else, it might have gone unnoticed. Obviously, writer/director Michael Melamedoff wanted to call attention to that aspect of the story, and he pulls it off.

Bobby Cannavale’s performance as Josh is really great. I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen him in and I hope he becomes a household name very soon. Although, that day might mean that he’s stopped doing these charming little independent movies, so maybe it’s best that he stays below the radar for a while yet. His character, Josh, is a genuinely selfless person, which isn’t to say that he’s a boring archetype. On the contrary, Josh does have moments of frustration and at times makes some questionable decisions, but these moments make him more believable as a person and thus more enjoyable on screen.

There are a few characters here that should be clichés but manage to achieve a complexity that saves them from this fate. June Diane Raphael’s performance as Josh’s wife, Elizabeth, is fascinating to watch. Our first exposure to her is the couple and another couple trying swinging for the first time. So, it’s clear that she’s looking for something a little bit more exciting in her life. This should be really boring to watch, as we’ve seen unhappy housewife characters a thousand times before. However, Raphael manages to seamlessly blend a love and devotion to her husband while at the same time being constantly tempted by other men. The key to her keeping the role fresh is that she never tries to justify her actions, which creates a genuine emotional response in the viewer.

Probably the weakest link in the film is the character of Bart (Josh Charles), who is Josh’s best friend and teaches sex education at the same school. Bart’s biggest problem is that he’s really immature for most of the film. His storyline revolves around his crush on fellow teacher, Katharine (Lily Rabe). He acts like a horny high school student as he arrogantly pursues Katharine, and then gets drunk and jealous when she demonstrates interest in someone else. The character is at least relatable to the high school boy in all of us, and like the others in the cast, Charles does manage to save Bart from the cliché pit, but in this case, it’s a little too late.

Osiris Entertainment classifies Weakness as a comedy/drama, but it’s not funny. It’s more of a comedy in the traditional Greek sense, in that it more or less has a happy ending (depending on your point of view). Bottom line: the film deals a lot with loss and disappointment, but there is a sense of contentment, and a really nice optimism at work. The lack of humor isn’t a criticism. Osiris should embrace this film as what it is: A really good independent drama.

It’s a good looking film, so if you’re torn between DVD and Blu-ray, you might want to spend the extra money on a Blu-ray copy. I can’t comment on any special features that might be included on the DVD because the DVD-R Osiris sent me only contains the film with a banner assuring me it is their property.

Joe Sanders is a playwright and college instructor in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has a Master’s degree in playwriting and a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University, where he currently teaches Thought and Writing.

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